The Importance of Printing your Photographs

I might be the oddball, but I'd say smaller prints are more important than larger prints. Don’t get me wrong, I do see the value in the large print over the mantel. I will possibly write a blog about that importance one day. But that is not what is on my mind today. We don’t know how long we have with our loved ones. I learned this lesson a while ago, and today I am reminded as we grieve the 16th year of my grandpa’s passing. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for him. He is the reason I am always singing, he was also the reason I stopped singing, but as the years pass, it has been easier to use my voice again.

This is the last print I have with my grandpa. It’s not a huge print, and the focus is off, and it's not an ideal location, but it means so much to me. This 4×6 is the photo I have to pass down to generations to come.

He is also one of the many reasons I got into photography. When I stopped singing, I needed a creative outlet, and in my search to replace my voice, I found photography. My grandpa is the reason I continue to be a photographer, and I will make it my mission that everyone has at least one print they will cherish forever.

Next to my grandpa's print, I have another smaller photo print from my wedding day. At the time, I wasn’t into the photography world, so looking back, I have so much appreciation for my photographer for getting this print, even though I didn’t follow her instructions. I remember vividly her asking to gather the immediate family, and I pulled everyone up on the altar. I will cherish this photo forever because it was the last time that this family was together. We can’t recreate this photo; there are loved ones who are no longer with us, but I have this image to hold on to.

Photo by Courtney Wilkerson Photography

We don’t always know which photograph will become the last. Most of the time, we don’t realize the weight of an image until it is all we have left.

If you cannot remember the last time you were photographed with the people you love, or if those moments are still living quietly on your phone, this is your gentle reminder. You are allowed to exist in your memories. You are allowed to take up space on the walls of your home.

And if you need help creating something worth holding onto, I would be honored to help you tell that story.